Tuesday, July 15, 2008

New Jenny Dalton - "Looted Fires"

Jenny Dalton's previous album, Fleur De Lily, had many different musical elements going for it, including many memorable songs, including "Cadence", in the same vein as the moody, piano-driven, and ethereal vibe as predecessors Kate Bush and Tori Amos. Dalton, however, is also ambitious enough to carve out an identity of her own, both in terms of crafting a memorable live show, and in terms of artistic experimentation.

But any trace of aspiration that's been present in her previous work will undoubtedly be dwarfed by her new, upcoming concept album titled Rusalka's Umbrella, which will be released sometime in October. Not only is the record, in Dalton's own words, inspired by "the water element... (and) Twin Peaks, the Morton Salt Girl, The Shipping News, ghosts, Memoirs of a Geisha, folktales, The Fall by Albert Camus, the 35W bridge collapse, Mermaids, and more." Not only that, but Umbrella will also come on heels of its own book, Dalton's first, titled Daughters of the Dead Sea, which will be released later this year.

Frankly, I'm not sure how much more can be fit into an entire album's worth of material, but if first single "Looted Fires" is any indication, the pleasure of finding out will be entirely ours. Starting out with a melancholy piano line and breathy vocals, Dalton sings the main refrain "Is it real/this desertion?/S.O.S" as a violin plays a counterpoint melody. Over the course of the track, electronic drums come into focus by playing a kind-of march, giving the "Fires" a determined drive that might not have been there without them. With cryptic lyrics and haunting melodies, Dalton once again piques the listener's interest with music that's both familiar and fresh.